Scaling AI: Aligning leadership, people, and strategy

Successful AI transformation isn’t just about algorithms — it’s about people, alignment, and preparation. Despite massive investment, most organisations are stuck in the “messy middle” — caught between promising pilots and enterprise-wide failure.

It’s time to rethink the roadmap. How can organisations escape this pilot purgatory and unlock the real productivity gains promised by AI?

While companies treat AI as an IT upgrade, they overlook the human silos and skills gaps that actually determine success. New data confirms that the missing link isn’t better algorithms, but a radical alignment between the CHRO and CIO.

In this session, we’ll unpack insights from our global survey of 700 executives to reveal what AI leaders do differently. 

We will discuss why leadership alignment is the single biggest predictor of success and how a “people-first” strategy is the key to escaping the messy middle.

What we’ll cover:

• Why treating AI solely as a technology challenge leads to stalled pilots and wasted budget.
• How people — not algorithms — ultimately drive AI success.
• Why 93% of AI leaders count on the CHRO and why it matters.
• How to break down the organisational silos that prevent AI from scaling effectively.
• The real risks of misalignment — and how top AI performers reach 14x productivity.